New Hampshire Undocumented Face Crackdown Starting this Week with Secure Communities Program

The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials enacted its Secure Communities program in New Hampshire on Tuesday in spite of Governor Deval Patrick’s protests. The program reduces the number of undocumented immigrants in the state by allowing the state to share all fingerprints of arrested individuals with ICE officials.

Governor Patrick, showed concern that the program will encourage racial profiling by police and refused to sign on to the program. Yet ICE officials believe the program will aide in reducing crimes in the area. According to an ICE spokesman, the program has found and deported more than 135,000 immigrants convicted of crimes. Of these crimes, close to 50,000 were aggravated felonies.

In addition to New Hampshire, this controversial program is also enforced in Connecticut, Rhode Island as well as the city of Boston. In addition to the New England area, 39 states have enacted the Secure Communities program nationwide. New Hampshire is the third state in the New England area to use the Secure Communities program.